When two “big name fans” go head-to-head at a convention, love isn’t the only thing at stake.
Charming, charismatic, and effortlessly popular, Conrad Stewart seems to have it all…but in reality, he’s scrambling to keep his life from tumbling out of control.
Brilliant, guarded, and endlessly driven, Alden Roth may as well be the poster boy for perfection…but even he can’t help but feel a … perfection…but even he can’t help but feel a little broken inside.
When these mortal enemies are stuck together on a cross-country road trip to the biggest fan convention of their lives, their infamous rivalry takes a backseat as an unexpected connection is forged. Yet each has a reason why they have to win the upcoming Odyssey gaming tournament and neither is willing to let emotion get in the way—even if it means giving up their one chance at something truly magical.
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I really wanted to love this story but sadly it didn’t happen. Did I enjoy this book, yeah I did…but not for the romance. This book brought back the joyful memories of yesteryear and all my geeky gamer friends. All the joy filled nights of playing Magic and Dungeons and Dragons.
The pace felt a bit off for me. The first half or so of the book seemed to drag on forever. I did like how well written both Conrad and Alden’s characters were. The author definitely knows what she’s talking about with the gamerverse. I’m not 100% why I couldn’t connect with this book even though I really wanted too.
Conrad is in it to win it. He and a few other gamers are given the chance to get to a convention full of players who enjoy the same game. His reasons for wanting to win are his own. The attraction he suddenty feels for another gamer shocks him. Will he be brave and share some of himself?
Alden has always been the one not good enough. Finally he has a chance to prove he is good at something. Something for himself. He puts it all out there for someone who only gives him glimpses of himself. He too, has his reasons to want to win. Can they compromise somehow?
These characters were brilliant in their own right. Both bringing so much to the story it almost blinded me. I loved the friendships gained, and the journey itself. Each of the students seemed to have so much to them. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.
***This early copy was given by Netgalley and its publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Road Trip anyone? lol
What a way to bring two people that really don’t like one another together, get them to take a road trip cross country, either they’ll kill one another or they may just find out there is more to the other person then they originally thought.
Conrad Stuart is the person that is always joking around and “trash talking” while they film their Odyssey games for the “Gamer Grandpa vlog” while Alden is more of an introvert. You can say Yin and Yang because they are very much opposites on most things which makes for an enjoyable read.
I have to confess I am not a gamer but since I loved Annabeth Albert’s #gaymers series I had a feeling I would enjoy this one as well. This story is more on the sweeter side and not as spicy as the other stories were but that was fine because this is a new adult romance so I sort of expected that.
Remember that things are not always as they seem, well that is what both Conrad and Alden figure out during their trip and it was great watching them not only become enlightened to who the other person is but to realize they are someone that they can truly care for.
I always recommend Annabeth Albert’s books and this one is no different. If you enjoy a neurodiverse character, a jewish character, or a MC that has some serious family issues, this book fits all of those characterizations so I would definitely recommend this book to you.
Happy Reading!!!
This is a wonderful, feel good MM enemies to lovers book. It was funny and light hearted with some really difficult situations that were handled with style. It is set around a fantasy card game and the author does wonderful things with that. The characters were great with lots of backstory and the story kept me enthralled the entire time I was reading. A great feel good book in these trying times.
A great New Adult story from one of my favorite authors
OK, Conventionally Yours is quite a bit different from any of Annabeth Albert’s recent books but I loved it all the same. You won’t find hot, sexy times in this story but you will find great characters and a lot of snappy dialogue between them.
There was a lot of “gaming” dialogue that pretty much went over my head but I’m sure younger readers will understand a lot more of the lingo than I did. Even so, the abundance of gaming dialogue didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story one bit.
The road trip that Conrad and Alden take from New Jersey to Las Vegas was awesome. Several of the places they stopped were familiar to me. I especially love the bits where they were in Central Ohio since I was born and raised there. I laughed so hard when “Ohio pizza” was discussed; the boys were shocked to learn about pizza cut into squares (they were not fans).
The story isn’t angst free. Conrad and Alden are competing against each other for a coveted gaming prize. Watching the characters grow and go from enemies to lovers was a wonderful journey. I loved that Annabeth gave us a look at these two six months later, even if it’s not called an epilogue. (I love epilogues.)
I happen to love a good New Adult story and Annabeth delivered with this one. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.
A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***
This is a new-to-me author, and I really enjoyed her voice. These characters felt very real and I was always pulling for them!
Conrad Stewart has had a rough year. Far rougher than even his closest friends know. He’s hanging on by a thread trying to keep his life from totally falling apart. He’s a part of the core 4 players for a vlog called Gamer Grandpa, about a popular tabletop/online game, Odyssey. He lives in a college town in New Jersey, but he’s had to drop out of school, due to lack of funds, and he’s working odd jobs where he can, but none have really worked out long-term. He gets a free ticket to a huge fan convention in Las Vegas, plus a spot in the Odyssey tournament at the con. But, he has to get there, and he can’t afford to fly. So, a road trip it is. Too bad it ends up being a road trip with his least favorite person from the vlog group.
Alden Roth has no clue what to do with his life. His plan for med school isn’t panning out, and his moms are getting more urgent in wanting him to make choices about his future. Lately the only joy he gets is from playing Odyssey with the others for Gamer Grandpa’s vlog. Even if no one really likes him. And even if Conrad gives him a hard time every chance he gets. But, when the tickets to the fan con in Vegas are offered, he knows he needs to go, and win, and then his future will be sorted for him. But, Alden is scared of flying, so he needs to drive, even if he has to drive two weeks with Conrad.
Conrad and Alden bickered so much, but the connection between them was clear from the start. Once they were on their own, they were so much more open and honest with their feelings, and I liked watching them finally get to know each other, after so long of only assuming things about one another. Alden had certain tendencies, and anxieties, and they held him back from really being open with most people. Conrad gave off the vibe that he was the good time guy, and all the while his life and family were a mess. They both learned a lot about being honest and allowing people to get close to them.
Since this was a road trip story, Conrad and Alden were the main focus, though the other vlog players, Payton and Jasper, and Gamer Grandpa (aka Professor Tuttle) were fun in the periphery too. Since this appears to be the start of a series, I hope we’ll be learning more about them in the future.
Watching Alden and Conrad fall in love, and navigate their road trip, and the game tournament was sweet and satisfying. I adored their connection and how much they came to care for and depend on one another. They’re both young, and have a lot to learn about life and they learn some of that from each other along the way, which was lovely. I really enjoyed this story, and I will definitely read more in this series!
I loved Conventionally Yours for so many reasons. Most of all for the way it made feel. Like watching an old rom-com that gives you butterflies.
I found it very different from her previous books. The writing style is so beautiful. Rivals-to-lovers on a road trip?! This book was perfection. I could relate to both Alden and Conrad. Alden because I used to be that kid that got picked last. And Conrad because his experiences are the reason I haven’t come out to my parents yet. But this book is hope. It made me laugh and cry and feel a whole lot of emotions.
Conrad and Alden were perfect for each other. Even their rivalry was cute. Written in dual POV, Conventionally Yours is a book that will stay with me for a long time.
Odyssey, the game is quite intriguing. I loved the different cards and moves and it was very interesting to read about it, especially the convention. Totally recommend this book!
*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
Wow! This author has range. This is only the second book I’ve read by her and it’s totally different than the first one I read. Both are LGBTQ romance, but the tone is completely different in this one than in Burn Zone. That’s not a bad thing. Both are wonderful stories. I’m just amazed that she can write both types of stories so well.
The vibe in this story has a bit of a YA feel. I’m not quite sure how else to explain it, but that’s how I felt. And not in a bad way at all. Yet, even once the story earned that NC-17 rating from me there was still just a YA feel to it all. I guess because it also felt like a coming of age type of tale to me. Both Conrad and Alden are in their 20’s, but they are still learning a lot of life lessons and finding out who they are. They haven’t quite made it out of the boxes their parents, hometown peers, and society has put them in. It’s an inspiring thing to watch them both come into their own.
Just when I was thinking I couldn’t handle the bickering between Alden and Conrad any longer, the story settled into itself and I was able to start to appreciate the journey they were taking me on. While I understood Alden’s prickly outer shell and Conrad’s devil-may-care attitude, they weren’t privy to one another’s motivations. Once they started letting down their walls a bit and actually talking, the most stunning relationship started taking root. Like the pair of them, I didn’t want their road trip to end.
This couple is insanely sweet together, even once things start heating up. There’s still somehow an innocence to their interactions. I couldn’t get enough of the two of them together, talking things out. It’s when they withdrew back into their own heads that problems would pop up. Together…they were unstoppable.
Beside the story of Alden and Conrad, there were many other things I enjoyed in this book. The game play was interesting without bogging the story down. It was written in such a way that you don’t need to be any sort of gamer to understand what they’re talking about in those scenes. We, as the audience, have no idea the rules of the game. Yet I never felt lost or confused. The gaming scenes are actually used to move the story forward instead of thrown in for show.
While I read a wide variety of romance and have read plenty with non-traditional couplings, I believe this is the first story I’ve read where a prominent character has the they/their/them pronouns. Not only did I appreciate this, I hope to see more of this in the future. I will be truthful and say it sometimes took me a second look to realize who was being talked about. But the more we have it in our books, the more people will get used to using these pronouns and (hopefully) they will become more familiar the masses. The author definitely didn’t gloss over the problems and prejudices the LGBTQ community faces, but she gave her characters a safe space on the page where they could be themselves, as it should be everywhere.
So far, with the little bit I’ve read from this author, I’m sold. I cannot wait to read more.
**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**
Another dub. Well… not entirely.
“Conventionally Yours” featured my favorite trope, enemies to lovers and it’s primary focus is on Conrad and Alden, polar opposites. The dynamic duo take a road trip to compete at a convention and in the midst of their adventure, emotions flare.
It was sorta kinda cute I give it that and there wasn’t much to complain about with the characters but… everything else was kind of meh. There lacked sparks between the main characters, the gaming aspect left me yawning, the cross county road trip was boring and just about everything in between left me in a daze. The story just dragged on and wasn’t up to my speed.
Sadly, this didn’t leave a lasting impression on me and was a complete miss.
Conventionally Yours is a delightful road trip romance. Conrad thinks Alden has a stick up his nethers. Alden thinks Conrad is floating through life without a care. When a chance of a lifetime has them driving cross country together the close quarters force them to reconsider previous notions. This is a read that will fill your heart with happy.
In the gaming world winning is everything, but in Conrad and Alden’s gaming group not only is winning the most important but being at each other’s necks tops everything. But what happens when arch enemies have to travel by car across the country to get the the biggest gaming competition of their lives, is exactly the opposite then what they assumed. Instead of enemies they become so much more. Will they be able to outdo each other? Or will the edge that they had as enemies be the one thing that loses it all? You will instantly fall in love with Alden and Conrad and only want them both to get everything they deserve. A heart warming and enjoyable read.
Conventionally Yours was such a cute and sweet read. Basically an enemies to lovers centered around a card game and a road trip. The author really let you get to know and love both Alden and Conrad.
First off, these two are rivals in the game. They’re opposites personality-wise, and butt heads constantly. So let’s throw them in a car together for hours and see what happens! Alden has always seemed stiff and dismissive and a stickler, but turns out he has some anxiety and social issues. Conrad has always appeared too laid back and like a playboy, but he’s gone through a lot and trying to keep his head above water.
I loved the romance and friendship that built throughout their story. It really tugged at my heart. And all the action along the way and at the convention made for a very entertaining book.
lGBT book. Alden and Conrad get under each other’s skin. They both take jabs at the other while playing a card game (think magic the gathering or world of Warcraft) They each thinks the other hates them but secretly can’t stop thinking about the other. Their YouTube channel with a local gaming shop is successful enough to be asked to play in the top tournament where the winner will get to be a pro player. But on the road trip to Vegas they both learn the other’s life is far from perfect and truly get to know each other. Their friendship blooms along with their feelings.
A great enemies to lovers book. But it also deals with a lot of how others react to a persons coming out; affects that person. You see both sides and loved how the characters deepened throughout the book. It was a good read.